Sexual Harassment Abuse Reported At Yosemite, Yellowstone

The National Park Service faces dozens of sexual misconduct claims across the U.S., and last week lawmakers revealed that some originate at Yellowstone and Yosemite parks, the crown jewels of the system. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee cited a non-public Interior Department inspector general’s office report that says, “The number of employees interviewed that described horrific working conditions lead us to believe that the environment is indeed toxic, hostile, repressive and harassing.” The IG is now investigating claims that female employees were subjected to years of sexual harassment from supervisors at Yellowstone, and in at least one case the allegation that a supervisor paid a park laborer for sex. Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said the accusations were “so alarming, you would expect the Washington office to come in immediately and make sure things are safe.” Michael Reynolds, the newly-appointed deputy director for operations at the Park Service, told lawmakers that, while several Grand Canyon employees are under investigation, none have been fired since the inspector general’s explosive report was released 10 months ago. “I believe we have a problem,” Reynolds said. “And we should be making very urgent changes to that culture.”